Curse...
How does one describe a curse...?
Is it a genetic birth by man... or a concept that has befallen the world?
One creature holds that concept of fear above the other supernatural horrors that lurk in the shadows. That creature's name was known and feared by those who crossed its path, and its name was forever known as the Cursed Howler.
...
The morning sunlight has reached inside a two-story house colored in a unique blue and cloud white. The yard was freshly cut; the driveway was filled with two cars. A silver Nissan Altima with camping supplies inside; the next vehicle was a hot red 2022 Toyota Sequoia with more camping equipment and bikes on its roof.
"Let's go, we're going to be late to the party!" A loud, childish voice could be heard from inside the house, from the downstairs front door. A young mixed man standing at 5'4" was rushing his friends to get ready. His foot tapped the floor as he looked at the Apple Watch on his left wrist; the time showed 5:48 pm. He brushed his dirty blonde and black hair, checking for any lint.
"Ultima! I'm coming, hold on." A voice was heard from upstairs. His crimson red eyes gaze upon the stairs. He hears someone running downstairs, and it is none other than his best friend, Miko. He met her in middle school at St. Amber High School of Art, a high school that mainly focuses on multiple categories of art and design. Ultima was studying Special Effects and Animations; his dream goal was to "Express his true feelings by a short movie." Miko thought it was a good idea to make one.
In response to the short movie that expressed his feelings, it was also created based on the lore of Isig Forest, an ancient legend made up by a drunk man. Turns out the man's words proved true, as most sought to discover the dangerous creature that lurked in the shadows. Modern Archaeologists found a cave filled with art depicting the dangerous beast, one of the six howlers. Howlers are 6 horrifying wolves that represent certain characteristics and emotions of humanity; the first was described in great detail. Its fur, tail, and head down to the nostrils were stained with the blood of those it ate. There are no eyes in the sockets; they were replaced with sharp teeth. Speaking of sharp canine teeth, they were more located on its upper body, and the sides were covered in more sharp, bone-crushing teeth. Its body height was recorded to be 7'6, and it had a bulky build, yet it was still fast enough to catch a bullet. Then there were words written next to it saying: "The Beast is the Truth behind Humanity's fears. And when they howl, those who hear it... becomes cursed."
The other wolves were opposites, each given a specific name based on their descriptions. The second wolf had a darker appearance than the first, with its rib cage sticking out of its chest, which had been cut open. Its face had only bones, no flesh or muscles detected. There were also words next to it saying: "Those who cross the Devil's path must hide and never speak, for it knows the true meaning of Death."
The White Wolf was given the name The Cursed Howler and the Black Wolf, Devil Howler. The others couldn't find the other 4 because they found blood smeared across the rocky walls. When the news of the discovery broke, it even made the government question everything it knew about the human world, and it had just discovered something even more dangerous. A dimension where the so-called "Nihil" Creatures come from the Ethereal Realm. However, that is what humans call it.
"Ultima, are you alright?"
"Hm?"
She then added, "You've been out of zone lately. Wait, are you scared of where we're going?" She snickered, causing him to flick her forehead. "Those who are mocking the frightened tend to be the first ones frightened themselves." He spoke wisely and left through the front door. He always had wise words to say, as if he lived longer to experience them.
.....
As time resumed, they reached Isig Forest. Ultima parked his car close to the campsite with a blue 2012 Camaro and a pink 2020 Mazda CX-5 Touring parked on the left side of the Camaro. Stepping out of the blue Camaro, on the driver's side, Aaron Jackson was a tall, dark, muscular man, his hair in a rough-looking ponytail. He just got off work and came straight here with his girlfriend, Angelica Norman. The High School Queen. She was smart and talented in all fields of mathematics and tried to solve the theories of the quantum realm and even the Outer World. She was also known for her royal beauty, unmatched by any other.
"I see you two didn't chicken out." Aaron chuckled, walking up to Ultima, who had just gotten out of his car. "Well, when you invited us out, I was expecting something different." He responded with a handshake greeting. They both chuckled together. Behind them were two red-haired and black-haired teenagers, the same age as Aaron. "Max! Good to see you, old buddy!" Aaron said, putting him into a chokehold. Ultima was shocked at this moment. "This payback for ruining my basketball game that one time!"
The two laughed at Max's groans of pain. "I deserve that one... I'm glad that you're doing alright, bro." Ultima helped him to his feet; the two noticed a familiar woman behind them. A tomboy-like woman, well built in physique alone. Her green hair flowed with the warm wind. It was Ultima's ex; it was a long story to explain, but she betrayed his trust for another man, and so it never bothered him.
"Lexia... what are you doing here?" Angelica and Miko gave her a glare that stabbed daggers into her very soul. Lexus wasn't bothered by it one bit; she only jumped on Ultima's back. A black and white sports bra covered her small, perky breasts under her dark green long-sleeve collar shirt. Miko tried to yank her off of him, the others watching as if this were a reality TV series.
"Should we help him?" Asked Aaron, who was enjoying the scene.
"Nah, let's have him settle this," Max replied with a chuckle.
"And what are we having me settle?" A voice asked right behind them. They turned to see Ultima standing with their blonde and black-haired friend. He stood there so casually, watching the two women fight over a damn doll of him.
"Bro, come prepared," Max said, patting the blonde teenager. The two girls finally stopped. Lexia turned to Yin, who had a closed-eyed smile... but behind that smile was something she feared more. She turned, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Alright, kids, enough." Aaron chuckled, and his expression turned into a stern one. He then yanked the bags out of his car and laid them down to unpack. The others did the same, the warm wind blowing through their hair.
The sun descended from where the mountaintop was located. They set up their tents and started a campfire. Chairs circling it. "Ultima, if I may ask?" This caught everyone's attention. "Go on." He granted Max to ask his question.
"You never told us about your life before you met us, so I was wondering what your parents were like?" The red-eyed male looked to the corner of his eye before sighing.
"Very well, I wasn't expecting this from you." He patted Max on the shoulder. "How about a story? It's related to my past." The others grabbed a beer to relax. Just as he was about to speak, he and Lexia heard something in the forest.
"Who's there!?" He was on the defensive, with Lexia by his side. Whatever was out there, they could see bright white eyes with slit-like pupils. Angelica ran behind Aaron, and Miko hid behind Ultima.
W̴͔̏̕h̸͎̲͍̉̉͊̈́̓̕͝y̶̡͕̮͇͖͕̮̳̲̓ d̶͇͆̓̂̆͌͛͠ō̵̝̭͙̊ y̶̡͕̮͇͖͕̮̳̲̓ō̵̝̭͙̊ų̷͕̙͚͖̲̱̐̒̀̆̎̈͜ s̷̠͕̪̥͐̌ţ̸̛̞̒̑̌́̄̽̀͝ī̶̧͙͖̲̘l̶̘̫͚͎̟̙̺̼̦͈̋̽̔l̶̘̫͚͎̟̙̺̼̦͈̋̽̔ c̷̡̪̘͎̻̦̀͑̒̈̂̿̑̓̚͜͝ō̵̝̭͙̊n̸͉̠̘̲̼̼̩͗͒̕͝͝ţ̸̛̞̒̑̌́̄̽̀͝ī̶̧͙͖̲̘n̸͉̠̘̲̼̼̩͗͒̕͝͝ų̷͕̙͚͖̲̱̐̒̀̆̎̈͜è̷̛̗̳͚̙͇̘͍͕̊̑̿͘͜ ţ̸̛̞̒̑̌́̄̽̀͝ō̵̝̭͙̊ r̵̨͇̰̭̜̈́͑ų̷͕̙͚͖̲̱̐̒̀̆̎̈͜n̸͉̠̘̲̼̼̩͗͒̕͝͝ f̴̧̭͓̘̱̖̯͋̇͒̀́r̵̨͇̰̭̜̈́͑ō̵̝̭͙̊m̶̜̍̄ y̶̡͕̮͇͖͕̮̳̲̓ō̵̝̭͙̊ų̷͕̙͚͖̲̱̐̒̀̆̎̈͜r̵̨͇̰̭̜̈́͑ p̸͕̗̃̔́͑́͝â̸̠̋s̷̠͕̪̥͐̌ţ̸̛̞̒̑̌́̄̽̀͝?
The glitchy voice couldn't be translated into English for the others to hear. Only Ultima and Lexia heard what it was saying before a red circle appeared from under them, including their items from their camp, which were being transported to a place they never wanted to be caught in...
....The Ethereal Realm.